Spring Break
The Daily OrangeCandidates compete in district attorney race
By Chris Maguire
Posted: 11/4/03, 2:41 AM EST Section: News
For the past 12 years, Onondaga County District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick has run unopposed. For lucky number 13, however, he has a challenger.
The opponent, Democratic candidate Vanessa Bogan, believes Onondaga County needs a change. She cites allegations of a rift between Fitzpatrick and the Syracuse Police Department, the need for a resolution to youth and gang violence and the aggressive prosecution of sexual offenders as a platform to challenge the incumbent Fitzpatrick.
"Over 12 years, there's been thousands of arrests and there's been thousands of cases we've done well with the police," said Barry Weiss, Fitzpatrick's campaign manager. "There's no rift at all. Is there a perfect relationship? There's nothing at all that's perfect in this world. We're not going to be in sync totally - the people don't want that, I don't think anyone wants that in any community."
One of Bogan's greatest concerns - youth and gang violence - is an area in which she feels the current administration has failed.
"For too long the community has seemed to deny we have gangs, and for me that seems to allow them to proliferate," Bogan said. "I think as a community we've been let down. I would work more effectively with community-based programs, faith-based programs and schools."
Bogan, a 1993 law school graduate of the City University of New York Queens College and a resident of Syracuse, is also concerned with a seemingly higher occurrence of crime around the Syracuse University area, and ultimately, student and faculty safety.
"It's a very serious and real problem," she said. "All the students need to feel safe, and the parents that send you to your community need to know that we take that seriously. I would work with the chief and determine whether we need to have another satellite office to ensure you get and have the protection that you need."
Weiss, on the other hand, blames the media for a large part of the perception of rise in crime around the university. He did offer, however, that the change from Public Safety to peace officer status would be an effective deterrent of crime in the area, and something Fitzpatrick looks forward to. Fitzpatrick should know quite a bit about the SU community as he was a 1974 SU graduate, 1976 SU College of Law graduate and adjunct professor of trial law at SU from 1987 to 1988.
The opponent, Democratic candidate Vanessa Bogan, believes Onondaga County needs a change. She cites allegations of a rift between Fitzpatrick and the Syracuse Police Department, the need for a resolution to youth and gang violence and the aggressive prosecution of sexual offenders as a platform to challenge the incumbent Fitzpatrick.
"Over 12 years, there's been thousands of arrests and there's been thousands of cases we've done well with the police," said Barry Weiss, Fitzpatrick's campaign manager. "There's no rift at all. Is there a perfect relationship? There's nothing at all that's perfect in this world. We're not going to be in sync totally - the people don't want that, I don't think anyone wants that in any community."
One of Bogan's greatest concerns - youth and gang violence - is an area in which she feels the current administration has failed.
"For too long the community has seemed to deny we have gangs, and for me that seems to allow them to proliferate," Bogan said. "I think as a community we've been let down. I would work more effectively with community-based programs, faith-based programs and schools."
Bogan, a 1993 law school graduate of the City University of New York Queens College and a resident of Syracuse, is also concerned with a seemingly higher occurrence of crime around the Syracuse University area, and ultimately, student and faculty safety.
"It's a very serious and real problem," she said. "All the students need to feel safe, and the parents that send you to your community need to know that we take that seriously. I would work with the chief and determine whether we need to have another satellite office to ensure you get and have the protection that you need."
Weiss, on the other hand, blames the media for a large part of the perception of rise in crime around the university. He did offer, however, that the change from Public Safety to peace officer status would be an effective deterrent of crime in the area, and something Fitzpatrick looks forward to. Fitzpatrick should know quite a bit about the SU community as he was a 1974 SU graduate, 1976 SU College of Law graduate and adjunct professor of trial law at SU from 1987 to 1988.
